Better Than One
by TamariChan
Summary: Raoul's stuck in his office, but visitors liven up the days a little. Kel/Lerant, NOT Kel/Raoul.


**Disclaimer: The world and characters of Tortall are Tamora Pierce's, not mine's. **

**So I'm hoping this fic can pull some of you onto the Lerant/Kel wagon, especially if you're a member of Goldenlake who's going to vote in the runoff voting in SMACKDOWN! Let me know if you need more convincing, and if you're not yet part of Goldenlake, why wait? SMACKDOWN's one of the most fun Tamora Pierce events out there!**

-:-

"Milord?"

Raoul looked up and grinned at his standard bearer. "Come in, come in!" He swept some papers off his desk. "Save me from this paperwork, why don't you?"

Lerant smiled nervously at that and walked into the doorway, the papers he held in his hand shaking slightly. Raoul's eyes flicked down to them and back up.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no, not..." Lerant swallowed. "Milord, I just wanted to say that I'm so very thankful for all the opportunities you've given me – because, well, because of – and you know how much I respect you–" he gestured to the faint scar of an arrow wound on his collarbone.

"Lerant, you can just say it," Raoul said, looking more than faintly concerned. "Has something happened at your home?"

"No," Lerant said again. He scrubbed his hand through his floppy hair and over his face. "I – I'm resigning."

He finally met Raoul's incredulous gaze and sighed, closing the door and collapsing in a chair across from Raoul. Raoul reached slowly for the resignation papers. Neither of them spoke.

Finally, Raoul cleared his throat. "It says that your reason is personal. May I ask–?"

"I'm getting married," Lerant blurted, then hid his face in his hands.

Raoul's whole face changed as his easy grin returned. "Congratulations! Who's the lucky woman?"

He leaned over the desk to pump Lerant's hand. Lerant still didn't look up. What little of his face showed was glowing red.

"See, that's just it," he muttered into his hands.

"What? Speak up."

At that Lerant did look at Raoul, face still flushed. "Um, the girl... she doesn't really want me to say – I mean, she wants to tell her family first."

"Her family doesn't know?" Raoul said with a whistle. "Mithros, Lerant, don't you know the rules of a proper noble engagement? Unless she's a commoner?"

"Nooo," Lerant said. "But it's different."

"Different how? Is she a Rider? Some sort of unconventional woman?" Raoul's grin stretched wider.

"Some sort," Lerant agreed. He wrung his hands.

"Do I know her?" Raoul prodded, leaning closer and propping his elbows on the too ornate table.

Lerant hesitated but couldn't seem to think of a way to stall. "Yes. Yes, you do."

"It's not Buri, is it?" Raoul guffawed at his own joke.

Even Lerant had to smile at that. "Nah. I think she'd shoot me if I tried anything."

"Probably. Who, then? You can trust me."

But Lerant demurred. "I really shouldn't – she's made it _very _clear she expects to be the one to tell everyone – she said so when I proposed, actually."

"Details?" Raoul said, putting his hands on his chin and making a moue in a very convincing imitation of a court lady. This time the two men laughed together.

"Not much to tell! Been together about a year, you know, and women start thinking about it. And with Dom getting married I thought she might be considering it, and she was," Lerant took a deep breath when Raoul didn't cut off his rambling. "And I asked and she said yes even though she was worried about the Own and me and if I'd find another job. And I do love her, a _lot_, even though I don't say it as often as I should or really ever and..."

Raoul raised his eyebrows. "It certainly seems you do! I don't think I've heard you say so much in all the years I've known you!"

Lerant flushed again. "Thanks for understanding, milord. It's not that I don't appreciate all that you and the Own have done for me, I just..."

"Need to move on," Raoul said. "It's okay. No, really," he added as Lerant shook his head.

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"Then what is?"

Lerant snorted. "You'll see."

"All right," Raoul said. "I'll see you later, then."

Lerant left the room at a much quicker pace than he had entered it.

-:-

A few days passed and Raoul had still more paperwork to do. He was cursing Jon under his breath when a knock sounded on his office door. He ceased both cursing and working on paperwork immediately.

"Can I help you?" he said, still distracted.

"Hello to you too, Raoul," said a cheerful familiar voice.

"Kel!" Raoul stood up and captured his former squire in a fierce hug. "It's been so long? How's New Hope?"

"Thriving!" she said, hazel eyes alight with happiness. "They're actually doing so well on their own that I'm moving back to the palace. Technically, at least." She smiled and winked. "I'll still be visiting quite frequently."

"You seem so happy," Raoul said. "Knighthood suits you. How are you liking the prize money Jon gave you for Scanra?"

She snorted. "Quite well, from the bag it occupies in my closet. I told him I didn't need anything."

Raoul shook his head fondly. "Always so modest, Kel. Sit down. Knowing you, you've been on your feet since dawn. Tea?"

Kel declined.

"Do you have a reason for coming to see me, or is it just for the pleasure of my company?" Raoul said, settling into his chair and locking his fingers behind his head. "No, I know it can't be that, or you'd've come to see me earlier. Don't make that face, I'm right!"

"You are," Kel admitted. "Not that I don't enjoy seeing you, milord–"

"Raoul," he interrupted.

"–but I do have an announcement, of sorts." She tapped a short nail on her lips nervously, unintentionally drawing Raoul's intention to the soft gold ring on her left hand.

"Mithros," he breathed, grabbing Kel's hand to verify his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

When he dropped her hand, Kel met his eyes like she was searching for some kind of disapproval. She found none and let out her breath in a whoosh.

"Congratulations!" he said sincerely.

Kel hadn't smiled so widely since the ring had found its way onto her finger.

"Were you expecting me to yell at you?" he said, amused at the relief on her face.

"No," she laughed, "but I worried you might think I'm too young."

"You're twenty. That's old enough. And you've always known what you want, haven't you?"

"Not always," Kel said, her eyes far away. "But I've tried not to make bad decisions, if that's what you mean. And this isn't one. Milord – Raoul..."

Raoul gestured for her to go on.

"I'm marrying Lerant, you know," she said, "and not everyone thinks it's such a great idea, no matter how we feel about each other. And because we argue so much even Neal didn't guess we were together, so you can imagine everyone else is so surprised–"

Raoul, by then, had recovered from his shock enough to speak. "No, I _didn't _know! What – where did this _come_ from, Kel?"

"You don't?" she said, equally surprised. "But Lerant said he handed in his resignation. And I'm so sorry about that, by the way, I tried to convince him we didn't need to get married yet but he insisted for my reputation. What little of it's left, anyway."

Raoul held up a hand. "I'm just going to ignore all that for now, Kel, because you know all those rumors are just silly." He gave her a stern look. "And you're smart enough to know that your friends will come around, because they love you so much."

"I know," Kel said. "I still don't know how you _didn't_ know about us, though. Lerant's not exactly subtle, is he?"

"No." Raoul smiled ruefully. "I knew something was up, but I couldn't figure out what it was until he came in to resign. And then he didn't say who, just that the girl needed to tell her family because anyone else. How'd that go, by the way?"

"Fine," she said. "Well. My brothers weren't happy and they all said they wished I'd've introduced Lerant to them earlier, since we've been together so long, but they approve."

"Good."

"But I'm _not_ telling his Aunt Delia," Kel said in a deadpan voice. Raoul couldn't tell if she was serious or joking, so he just kept up his smile.

"Kel," he said, serious again and trying in vain not to think of the stacks of paperwork due by the end of the day. "Everyone's proud of you, you know."

"Not the conservatives."

He gave her a look. "Everyone who matters is proud of you."

She laughed involuntarily.

"If it helps, I can see you and Lerant together strangely easily," he said. And he could, once he got over the strangeness of the girl he saw as a daughter and a man who felt like his son being romantically involved. "And the others will too, once they see how adorable you two look when you talk about each other."

"Raoul," Kel said, blushing. "I don't–"

"You do!" He laid a hand on hers. "I'd better be invited to the wedding."

"Lerant wants you to be the best man," she said. "But don't tell him I said so. He wants to tell you himself."

"Me?" Raoul said. "That – I'd be honored, Kel."

She smiled again and sighed wistfully. "I'll get out of your way now."

"You don't have to, it's fine."

"I see you looking at those reports," she said. "I remember. I'll see you tomorrow."

"With Lerant!" he reminded her. "You two still owe me an explanation of how exactly this happened at all."

"Will do," Kel said. She turned back at the doorway and looked at him. "Thank you, again, for everything."

He didn't finish the paperwork on time, but he found he didn't care that much at all.


End file.
